Just A Kiss
by laurzz
Summary: DannyLindsay: oneshot set during and after 2x24 Charge of this Post. ‘Their kiss wasn’t as frantic as it had been at the hospital. It was slower, softer, sweeter.’


**A/N: continuing with my need to play in season 2 land, here's another offering! Mentions of the "lost kiss" deleted scene from this episode- you can find it on YouTube - it's definitely worth a watch, even if it is just for an excuse to squee! **

**Hope you enjoy it! **

**—————————-**

_No, I don't want to mess this thing up, I don't want to push too far. Just a shot in the dark that you just might, be the one I've been waiting for my whole life… So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight_

_-Just a Kiss, Lady Antebellum._

_——————————_

_Set during and directly after the episode 2x24, Charge Of This Post_

———————-

As far as weeks went; this had been one of the harder ones. Danny remembered coming to work on Tuesday and if he was totally honest, he didn't even know what day it was anymore. He guessed it was Friday? Although he couldn't be sure. He hadn't been home. There hadn't been time. Between the bomb, debris, crime scene analysis and Flack being blown to smithereens, going home hadn't been an option - for anyone.

His eyes scanned the scene in front of him. The severity of the situation, Flack's situation, wore heavy on his heart. Sure, he'd done alright in surgery but he was by no means out of the woods. His intestines had been tied together, literally, by a shoelace. How the hell he was still alive was completely lost on Danny. A testament to Mac's quick thinking, talent and training as a marine, he figured.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed heavily. All of this pain and suffering because some whack job felt like sending some convoluted message about some crap Danny didn't get.

He heard the musings of the team around him, Stella saying everyone didn't need to stay, Mac saying they didn't have to… but wanted to. Hawkes going to check something with someone. Stella was talking about coffee. It'd been a long couple of days and if he was totally honest; he was ready to get the hell home and get the hell to bed.

He glanced over to Lindsay. _Lindsay_. This week had been tough in more ways than one. When he arrived at the scene he hadn't really known what to expect. He didn't know who had been where and what had even happened. All he knew was that there had been an explosion and Lindsay was somewhere in and amongst the chaos.

When he saw her desperately trying to reach Mac on his cell, his heart had stopped for a moment. Sure she was okay. She was standing. Functioning. In one piece. He could see blood all over her hairline and dripping down her forehead and for a split second he thought it was a hell of a lot worse than it was. He'd managed to check she was okay before his duties pulled him in a hundred different directions. He hadn't allowed himself to think about what he'd have done if she hadn't been standing. _He couldn't think about that._

He'd managed to check on her later too. The smile that had tugged at her lips told him she appreciated his concern, although she brushed it off. "It's fine," she'd insisted before changing the subject and focusing on extracting the SIM card from the cell phone.

He'd pressed her for how she really was but she wasn't having any of it. She was all business, insisting she was fine. "It's just a little cut." She brushed him off. _Yeah… sure._

It'd been a whirlwind of a year since she'd joined the lab. He hadn't exactly been excited at the prospect of a new partner. Some Montana girl? He remembered when Mac had sat them all down and explained that he'd sourced a replacement for Aiden. He'd told them about her work in the McGinty killings. He'd told them she was meticulous and methodical. She was top of her class. She was wicked smart. Her blood splatter anaysis was second to none. He told them that he felt she was perfect for the team and that he was excited about what she'd bring with her. Danny had rolled his eyes at the time. Back then he couldn't bear the thought of her. He'd envisioned some country bumpkin who didn't know the first thing about, well… anything.

Boy had she proved him wrong.

Montana had been the polar opposite of everything he'd expected. Sassy, smart, sensitive, cute. He'd found himself drawn in- even when he fought it. God he'd tried to fight it. He'd physically shaken his head on some occasions to get her out of his head. He couldn't do it though. She was under his skin. He was enamoured by her reconstructions and how she presented her evidence and findings. He liked how she was so determined and meticulous. He liked how strong and brave she was. Things were different with her; he found himself missing her when she wasn't on shift.

Not that he'd _ever_ admit it…

He found himself caring about her, wanting to protect her, defend her. A couple of weeks ago; he'd gone round to her place after the Vackner case. She'd struggled her way through the case and he'd been worried about her. Something within him told him she needed him. So he'd followed his instincts and had picked up the pieces, literally, that night. He'd calmed her down, made her dinner, talked her off the ledge. And after a glass or two of wine; they'd attempted to tidy her apartment from the chaos she'd created in her fury.

He'd slept on her couch that night. He hadn't wanted to leave her and he knew that secretly she didn't want to be alone. They'd almost kissed that night. _Almost_. He could feel something bubbling between them. They had chemistry. There was fire between them. _Something_ was going to happen. He knew it. He felt it.

She'd asked him to drive her home earlier on and if he was totally honest, he'd jumped at the chance. She was always so professional that it was sometimes hard to work out if she felt about him the way he felt about her. He hoped she did. He hoped there was something more between them but there were times, moments, where he was unsure.

"You still want that ride?" _God he hoped she did._

"Yeah." She smiled. They waved their goodbyes and she led the way away from the team and through the doors.

"Is this the way we came in?" She turned and instantly bumped into him. "Ooh, sorry!"

It had happened in a split second and he'd felt her body colliding with his. He steadied her and placed his hands on her arms. "Did I-" his hands instantly went to her forehead, mindful of her fresh cut.

"No, it's fine.."

Finally getting a chance to look at her cut up close, he cringed. It looked awful. Painful, sore… he could see that it still hadn't stopped bleeding completely. He placed his hands on her head, cupping her face."You know, you should probably put somethin' on that."

"Back home they say its better just to let it breathe."

At her words he sighed, nodding in acknowledgement. He took in her features. _What was that look? _He'd never seen that look in her eyes before. He'd never seen her look at him like that before. Actually, he had. In her kitchen before the sink overflowed after the Vackner case. Just before she nearly kissed him.

In a split second, he saw her features change. The smile she'd been fighting was now stretching across her face and she was quickly closing the distance between them. Before he even realised what was happening, her lips were pressed against his.

_Finally_.

He felt her fingers lace themselves through his hair, pulling him closer to her. He used it as an excuse to wrap him arms around her waist and pull her a little bit closer in return. If she wanted to kiss him, he wasn't going to say no!

He felt her deepening the kiss, but as quickly as it started, she pulled away from him. His lips instantly felt the loss of her. Her hand rested on his cheek and he felt her thumb brush his stubble softly.

They stood in silence for a moment. Her eyes searched his for some reassurance. He could tell she was freaking out. His hand went to her hand that still rested on his cheek and he laced his fingers through hers, bringing her hand down so he could hold onto it. She was still searching for some form of reassurance. He considered his options for a moment and realised he really only had one.

He _had_ to kiss her again.

He stepped closer to her and placed his free hand on the back of her head, drawing her closer to him. He sealed his lips to hers which, she responded to instantly. It was just as heated as the first one. _How_ had they never done this before? More to the point, _why_ had they never done this before? He broke away from her but pressed soft kisses to her lips a couple of times before he broke the contact completely.

"That was different." He smirked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not everyday my partner kisses me..:"

"Oh god." She took a deep breath and he watched her eyes dart down to the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Wait... What? What are you sorry about?" He was confused… _sorry_? _What did she have to be sorry about?_

She turned and started walking the way she had been originally before they stopped. For someone as small as she was, she moved damn fast.

"Montana...wait up… what's goin' on?" He called out to her, breaking into a jog. "Hey hey, ease up." He managed to get a hold of her and spun her around. "Linds… Lindsay, hey what's wrong?" She was fussing with her jacket and he couldn't understand what the hell was going on. This definitely hadn't been the reaction he'd been expecting. It was so out of character… "Lindsay, talk to me."

"I shouldn't have kissed you… I shouldn't have done that." She ran her fingers through her hair. "You're my partner for crying out loud! God, I'm so stupid!"

"Alright, I'm gonna need you to stop talking for a minute." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm a bit…" he took a deep breath. "Why are you sorry? Did I make you think I didn't want that? Because I can assure you I'm all for us kissin'"

He knew she wasn't listening; it was clear that her mind was elsewhere. He could see her thoughts racing and her words proved it. "Danny… Your friend… our friend… Flack, he's in the hospital. _We're_ in a hospital… and… the blast… me... you… and then I go and kiss you." She ran a hand down her face. "What the hell was I thinking!"

Danny furrowed his brow as he tried to assimilate all the information and words she'd thrown at him. "That's a lotta words there Montana." He teased. "Can you slow down for a minute?" He grabbed her arms and held her in place so he could look at her. "Alright listen… Lindsay Monroe, I like you. I feel like that's kinda obvious, right?"

Despite her emotions, she smiled and nodded.

"Okay, so, if you wanna kiss me. I ain't gonna fight ya. I'll happily accept any kisses you wanna send my way."

She licked her lips.

"And I'm guessin' you like me too?"

She looked up at him through her lashes. She nodded. "A lot."

"Alright so listen to me now. You don't gotta be sorry. Please don't be sorry. If I had thought I coulda kissed you and got away with it… I'd'a done it a hell of a long time ago."

She blushed and rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I'm serious. I like you Lindsay." He paused. "I care about you. I wanna spend my time with you. Get to know you other than bein' my partner in the field." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "Please don't be sorry about what we just did then." He tucked a finger under her chin so she was looking at him. "Don't be sorry about it because I sure as hell ain't. I've been thinkin' about kissin' you ever since I stayed over at your place, okay? This absolutely is not a one sided thing. I'm into this just as much as you are, alright?"

She smiled up at him and nodded thoughtfully. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his chest. She let out a long, laboured breath before settling against him for a moment.

"Listen, wanna get out of here?" His voice broke the silence.

"Sure." She nodded as she pulled away from him.

"You hungry?" He asked as they began walking in time to one another.

From the corner of his eye, he could see her rolling her eyes. "What?" He laughed. "What you rollin' your eyes for now?"

"You!" She implored. "I swear you're always hungry!"

"Nah, it's because I'm never fed." He teased. "You never let me eat!"

"Whatever." She laughed. "If I let you eat every time you wanted to, one," she held up a finger, "You'd be three hundred pounds and two," she held up another finger. "We'd never get anything done."

"Yeah but at least I wouldn't be hungry." He teased.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes.

"I know a place that does some damn good cheeseburgers near Madison Square Park. The double cheeseburgers are to die for. They do creamsicle floats too which aren't too bad."

Lindsay nodded. "I could go for that."

"Perfect." He smirked as he held the door open. "After you."

She smiled as the cool evening air hit her face. Danny followed her quickly and almost skipped as he tried to get back in line with her footsteps.

"Come on, I parked the truck this way." He said, leading her to the avalanche.

"Sure." She smiled. She was so close to him that if he moved his hand an inch, the back of their their hands would be touching. Just as he was about to take her hand; he felt her loop her arm through his. Her hand settled on his bicep and she settled close to him. He glanced at her and smiled. When she smiled back at him, he felt a comforting feeling flow through him. He hadn't felt this before but he wasn't all that mad about it. He almost liked it.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She smiled, holding his arm a little tighter.

_Oh yeah_ he thought as he unlocked the avalanche with the keys, _I'd happily get used to this._

——————————-

"I'm sorry but you're absolutely full of crap!" Lindsay's mouth was full and she had her drink in her hand. He couldn't help but laugh at her as she shook her head whilst taking a drink. "Absolutely not." She finished.

"Don't know why you're so adamant about it Montana. Wouldn't be the worst thing in the world!"

"You've gotta be joking me!" She laughed as she popped one of her fries into her mouth. "Absolutely not."

"Hey, all I'm sayin' is I could see him doin' it:"

"Mac Taylor will not go partying with Adam ever. Period."

"I don't know." Danny shook his head. "He's a dark horse."

"The crap Adam gets up to? Mac would have to arrest him!"

Danny snorted.

"What? You don't think he would?"

"Not for a single minute." Danny shook his head. "What makes you so adamant?"

"Because it's Mac!" She implored. "The most vanilla guy I know. I've been subjected to Adam's recounts far too many times. Trust me, Mac would absolutely not stand for the stuff Adam gets up to."

"He's got a wild side." Danny nodded. "Mac, I mean... You don't know him like I do."

"Well, we both know that's a load of crap." Lindsay laughed as she wiped her hands on her napkin. "Or do I need to remind you about his standing appointment at the jazz club?" At Danny's eye roll, she laughed. "Ha! Case closed."

"Alright, so you figured one little thing out about him. That doesn't mean you know him better than I do."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You know what, fine. You win. I'm not adding anymore fuel to this fire." He could tell she was teasing him.

"Takes a big person to admit defeat Montana. Good for you."

"Hmm" she huffed playfully. They fell into a comfortable silence. He could see her occasionally glance up at him and just as he caught her gaze, she'd glance down again. It was like she was trying to read him. Which confused him. She could usually read him so well. She was so out of character tonight. Her freak out earlier had left him puzzled and now her stolen glances… Something was off.

Deciding to take the bull by the horns, he placed the burger he was holding down and grabbed his napkin, wiping the grease from his hands. Trying to find a way to word what he wanted to, he figured simply coming out with it would be the best route to take. "Linds, why uh, why did you freak out earlier?" He asked softly.

"What?" She instantly responded. "I didn't-" She sighed heavily and averted her eyes away from his. "I don't know."

"Is there somethin' wrong?" He asked.

"No… nothing."

"So why do I feel like there's somethin' you're not sayin'?"

She suddenly became very interested in mixing her drink with her straw. He gave her a couple of seconds before reaching over the table and he took it from her. He put the glass back down on the table. "Linds, look at me."

At first, he could tell she was silently refusing. After a moment she lifted her eyes to look at him.

"Linds," He whispered. "It was a kiss. Just a kiss. Nothin' else if you don't want it to be." He paused for a moment. "I like you. Okay? Like I told you, I like you a lot. I like that you kissed me first. I like that we have this thing… this chemistry, you know? I felt it in your apartment after the Vackner case and again tonight..:But listen, if kissin' me didn't do it for ya, I get it… alright? No hard feelings. Sometimes it just ain't right and I get that." He reached over and squeezed her hand. "I'm a big boy. I can take it."

"No." She whispered. "It's not that at all."

"Linds, it won't change anything between us. Be honest with me. I understand if you now realise that I'm not the kinda guy you're lookin' for."

"Danny, it's not that." She said. "It's not that at all."

"What is it then?"

"The opposite." She said cryptically.

"Opposite? I'm gonna need a little more than that."

"The kiss _did_ do it for me." She whispered.

"What?" He blinked.

"The kiss? It wasn't just a kiss. It was a kiss with _you_, Danny. It was everything that I thought it would be and then a little bit more." She paused. "And that scares me."

"Scares you? What? Why?"

"Because…" she whispered. "We work together. I'm the newbie. We're supposed to be professional. I can't go round kissing people on the team like that."

"Hey whoa, how many of us are you kissin'?" He implored.

"Just you," She smirked. "Smartass."

"Good, that's what I hoped." He nodded. "So, let me try and fill in some blanks. The kiss, you were into it?"

She nodded.

"And you don't regret it?"

"I don't regret it."

"Okay." He paused. "But you're worried about what it'll look like to other people. You and me?"

She nodded.

"You're worried about what Mac might say?"

She nodded again.

"Okay, I'm with ya now." He nodded in understanding. He shuffled out of the booth he was sat in and went to sit next to her on the opposite side. He slid in next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. As he pulled her into his side, he noticed that she didn't fight him.

"Right. Now we're on the same side let's put all the cards on the table." He began. "I'll go first."

She nodded, turning to look at him.

"I'm not good at this." He began. "Feelings, emotions, relationships. I don't get it. I've never really had one that stuck. One that was special. So I don't know what the hell im doin'." He paused. "But I know that I like you. And I know that things have been better for me since you've been in my life. You calm me down. I know I feel things about you I ain't never felt about someone else before." He tucked his index finger underneath her chin to get her to look at him. "I know that I'm probably gonna mess this up but I'm willin' to get my ass kicked by you."

She laughed.

"What I'm tryin' to say is, I don't know what this is. I don't know what we are… but I'd like to find out."

She smiled at him.

"You go."

She cleared her throat. He could see her thinking carefully as she tried to choose the right words. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally found her voice. "I'm not good at this either… I've never really found anyone that stuck and I definitely haven't felt the things I feel about you before…" she paused for a moment. "I just don't want to rush this. I don't want to ruin something special by going at a hundred miles an hour. I don't want to mess this up."

"We don't have to label anything: we don't have to rush anything either. Go at our own pace."

She nodded.

"Listen, I ain't goin' anywhere. Okay? I don't think you're going anywhere either? So let's just see what happens. See where the journey takes us. If we're better as friends, we're better as friends." He shrugged.

She looked at him pointedly and giggled. "I know you don't believe that."

"Not for a second." He agreed. "But how do I know?" He mused.

"For what it's worth, I'm willing to see what happens." She nodded. "Nothing official. Just…"

"Let whatever happens, happen?"

She nodded. "Exactly."

"Gotcha." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'm done… you done?"

"I'm done." She confirmed, pushing her plate away. "I'm not so hungry anymore." There was something she wasn't saying. He could sense there was something she wanted to say. But before he could say anything; it was like she'd read his mind. "Hey listen… I uh, I would never normally ask but. Do you think it'd be ok if I stayed at yours tonight? I just… I really don't wanna be alone tonight." Her voice was quiet.

"Of course." he said.

———————-

The drive over to his place had been quiet. He'd glanced over to Lindsay at one point and realised she'd fallen asleep. It had been a tough couple of days and he knew it'd taken a toll on all of them, especially her.

Thankful the use of the avalanche, Danny put it into park and killed the engine. As he did; Lindsay stirred and sat up from where her head had been resting against the window.

"Hey sleepyhead; we're here."

"Sorry." She yawned, stretching in her seat, "don't know what happened. What crappy company I am!"

"Don't worry about it." They unclicked their seatbelts and exited the vehicle together. "It's been a long couple of days. You're bound to be exhausted. How's your head?" He asked as he made his way towards her.

"Oh it's fine." She shrugged. "Another war wound to add to the mix."

He rolled his eyes as she brushed him off once again. They made their way into his building and she was thankful there wasn't as many stairs up to his place as there were at hers.

He led her down the hallway and she smiled at the mess outside one of the resident's doors. There was a huge assortment of sporting goods. "They're trusting, do they not know where they are?." She commented. "Or is it all superglued down?"

"Nah, it's a kid that just moved in with his mom. He's sports crazy. Was riding his damn bike up and down the hallway last week…" he shoved his key into the lock and pushed through the door. He led the way and clicked the lamp on before kicking his shoes off. She followed him in and quickly kicked off her boots before hanging her jacket on the hook by the door. As she turned, her eyes fell on something and she couldn't help the giggle that bubbled out of her. In the middle of his New York apartment was a full sized pool table. An actual pool table. He had to be joking!

"Hey! You get a raise you didn't tell me about?" She smirked, "How the hell can you afford that? Actually, more to the point, how is it you can afford a place big enough to house that!?"

"It's Louie's. He brought it over a couple months back… I figured it would be gone by now but..."

"How's he doing?" She'd avoided asking him but felt like the conversation had naturally moved towards the topic of him and she couldn't not. She'd been thinking of ways to drop it into conversation for well over a week now. She just didn't want to cross a boundary and upset Danny. She knew hadn't died, as Sonny Sasoone's charges hadn't been upped as a result and Lindsay was relieved about it. But Danny hadn't mentioned anything either so she couldn't help but wonder.

"It's touch and go. He's still comatose. There's some brain activity but they're still unsure of whether it'll increase." He went quiet. "I'm preparing for the worst and hoping for the best."

Lindsay nodded in understanding as she placed her bag down on the couch. Danny tossed his jacket onto the pool table, along with the keys for the avalanche.

"You'll have to come over one night and I can teach you how to play."

It wasn't lost on her how he'd changed the subject and she decided to respect the direction he'd taken the conversation in. "Teach me how to play?" She laughed. "Do you not know me at all?"

"What? You some kind of expert?"

"Might be." She smirked.

"Why am I not surprised?" He rolled his eyes as he disappeared out of his living room and down the small hallway. She turned around and absorbed her surroundings. She'd been to his place a couple of times now but every time she came, she learnt something else about him.

Like the last time she'd been at his, it had been to pick him up for work. He'd been running late so he'd buzzed her up whilst he got ready. She'd been killing time, looking at the art on his walls. When he had eventually emerged from his room, he'd smiled proudly. "You like it?" He'd asked her. She'd told him that the painting she'd been admiring was really different. She'd also said she hadn't realised he collected art. It was then that he told her he didn't collect it… they were his own. She'd been absolutely astounded. She'd never, ever ever taken Danny to be an amateur artist.

But then again; nothing about Danny Messer surprised her.

She heard him shuffling back down the hallway and he appeared with a grey T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. "I figured you could do with something a little more comfy:"

"Thanks." She smiled.

"Feel free to use my room to get changed:" he said and disappeared off into his kitchen. She could hear the fridge door open and then two bottle caps being uncapped off what she assumed were beer bottles.

She padded to his bedroom and quickly changed. She grabbed the hair tie that she'd put around her wrist a couple of hours ago and tied her hair up, getting her messy hair out of her face. She glanced in the mirror and leant forwards as she soaked in her image. God she looked rough. She could see in her eyes how tired she was. Her eyes then settled on her hairline. She cautiously prodded at her cut and sighed heavily at the look of it. No wonder Danny had kept asking her if she was okay… it didn't look great. Although, she knew how lucky she was. A cut on her forehead was nothing compared to the injuries Flack had sustained. What was a little blood when his insides had been tied together with a shoestring?!

"You okay?" Danny's voice called out to her.

"I'll be right out." She called back. She took another look at herself and let out a long breath before turning on her heel and heading out into the living room.

"Hey." He smiled over the couch. The television was on low, he was holding a beer bottle and his arm was draped over the back of the couch. "You find everythin' you need?"

"Yeah, thanks." She nodded as she settled on the couch next to him. She curled her legs underneath her and tucked herself into the arm of the chair. He leant forward and grabbed the beer he'd opened for her and handed it to her.

"Figured we deserved one." He said by why of explanation.

She smiled and nodded as she tapped her bottle against his. "To Flack and his recovery."

"To Flack." He nodded, raising the bottle to his lips.

She too raised her bottle to her lips and took a long drink before reaching forward and popping the bottle on his coffee table. "I might go to the hospital tomorrow… see how he's doing and see how the psych evaluation went." She said. "What time are you on shift?"

"Not until later. What about you?"

"I'm starting at four. Got the four til eight."

"Same." Danny nodded. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." She smiled. "Although I may go home first. Can't exactly go like this can I?" She gestured to her massively oversized clothes.

"Probably not:" he smirked as he took a drink of his beer. "Although, you look cute."

Despite herself, she blushed. His eyes turned back to the television with a proud smile etched on his face. Her eyes tried to absorb the screen but they kept fluttering shut. She could see him glancing at her periodically and before she could stop herself, a yawn escaped her lips. She tried to mask it as a cough but it was no use.

.

"Look, I can take the couch. Feel free if you want to go rest up. You look absolutely exhausted, Linds."

"Gee, thanks." She laughed.

"No, I mean… _whatever_." He rolled his eyes. "Seriously though, I'm used to crashing on the couch. You take the bed okay?"

"Actually… I, uh…" She paused and looked at him. "Could we?"

He turned his head and arched his eyebrows at her. "Could we _what_, Montana?"

"Not that," she scoffed as she smacked his arm. "What the hell do you think this is?"

"I was hopin' you were gonna tell me."

"You should be so lucky." She smirked. "No, I just… it seems… I just thought…"

He watched her stumble over her words and eventually he put his hand on her's. "I'm usually quite good at the _let's guess what Montana is sayin_' game but you've lost me tonight." He teased.

She glanced up at him and let out a sigh. "I don't even know what I'm trying to say."

"Can I take a wild guess?" He asked. She nodded. "Are you telin' me you don't wanna be alone?"

"Yes." She sighed with relief.

He turned the television off and stood, offering her his hand. She took it and he pulled her off the couch. Wordlessly, and still holding her hand, he led her to his bedroom; turning off the lights as they moved through the apartment.

As they got to him room, she hovered by the bed and glanced at him with uncertainty in her eyes.

"I sleep on the left." He said, answering her silent question.

"That works." She smiled. "I sleep on the right."

"A perfect match." Danny smirked as he fiddled with his belt. Realising his audience and the sudden change in their friendship as she climbed into his hed, Danny faltered. "I'll uh. I'll be back."

She nodded as she pulled down the covers on the right hand side of the bed. She tentatively got in and settled against the pillows. It had been a long time since she'd gotten to a bed that wasn't her own. Before she had any time to freak out, he was back and was sporting a pair of pyjamas.

"Didn't take you for a matching pair of pyjamas kind of guy." She commented as he plugged his cell phone into his charger and then climbed into the bed. "You look cute."

"It's so you don't frisk me." He chuckled as he settled against the pillows.

"You wish." She laughed.

"Maybe I do." He winked at her before making the first move of laying down. She followed suit and turned to face him, lying on her side. He edged closer to her so that their noses were essentially touching. After a moment, he pressed his lips to hers softly. Their kiss wasn't as frantic as it had been at the hospital. It was slower, softer, sweeter.

She felt the fire in the pit of her stomach rising and she knew what she had to do. Not what she _wanted_ to do, but what she _had_ to. She pulled away and his eyes opened, silently questioning her.

"I'm not for one minute saying I don't want to kiss you." She began. "But if I don't stop now, I won't stop at all." She trailed off so he could catch her drift. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." He shook his head. "Someone needs to have their head screwed on… 'cause when it comes to you, I don't think I do." He began.

She rubbed her nose against his affectionately. He shifted slightly in his position and laid his arm out, letting her settle against him and on his chest. As she settled, his arm wrapped itself around her.

"I didn't take you to be a cuddler." She looked up at him from her position on his chest.

"I'm not."

"This looks like cuddling to me." She teased.

"You're mistaken." He informed her.

"What is it then?" She pressed.

"The start of somethin'." He said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

She smiled at him before settling on his chest again. They laid in silence for a few moments, accepting their current reality.

It was his voice that broke the silence.

"Listen," he said softly. "I'm glad you wanted to stay over tonight, Linds."

She shifted in her position so she was facing him. She craned her neck up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

He caught her lips and held her close as he took his time exploring her. She melted into the kiss and was happy to accept all the advances he was sending her way.

After the last few days, just a kiss was enough for her. As they'd already said to one another, neither wanted to mess whatever they were up and going steady and slow would help. Whatever this was? Lindsay was wholeheartedly on board. Sure, it was a long shot. She wasn't entirely sure if they'd even work but she was certainly willing to go along for the ride.

"You okay?" He asked her softly, breaking their contact for a moment.

"Never better." She whispered against his lips.

———————

**There we have it! A charge of this post one shot. As you might have guessed by now, my season 2 stories are all linking up so hope that has come across in this one too! **

**Also, as a side note- I was playing a little game with myself... how many canon lines and mentions to happenings in episodes I could get in. I ended up losing**** count in the end... so if something seemed familiar from the show, it probably was! Don't ask... I have funny ways of entertaining myself apparently! **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one! Prepare for season 3 stories. I've been rewatching season 3 again and have had a huge surge in plot bunnies so that's all to come! **

**Anyway; enough of my rambles. Hope you enjoyed and thanks so much for reading. Any thoughts you have about this one: are always very much appreciated!**

**Until next time! **


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